Fifty Sermons, Sermons · Sermon 8
SERMON VIII.
Preached at Essex house, at the Churching of the Lady Doncaster.
CANT. 5. 3.
I have washed my feet, how shall I defile them?
ALL things desire to goe to their owne place, and that's but the effect of Nature; But if Man desires to goe the right way, that's an effect of grace, and of Religion. A stone will fall to the bottome naturally, and a flame will goe upwards naturally; but a stone cares not whether it fall through cleane water, or through Mud; a flame cares not whether it passe through pure aire, or cloudy; but a Christian, whose end is heaven, will put himselfe into a faire way towards it, and according to this measure, be pure as his father in heaven is pure. That which is our end, salvation, we use to expresse in Schooles by these two termes, we call it visionem Dei, the sight of God, and we call it unionem, an union with God; we shall see God, and we shall be united to God: for our seeing, we shall see him Sicuti est, as he is; which we cannot expresse, till we see him;1 Iohn 3. 2. Cognoscam ut cognitus, I shall know as I am known, 1 Cor. 13. 12.which is a knowledge reserved for that Schoole, and a degree for that Commencement, and not to be had before. Moses obtained a sight of God here, that he might see, Posterior a, Gods hinder parts;Exod. 33. 23. and if we consider God in posterioribus, in his later works, in the fulfilling of all his Prophecies, concerning our Redemption, how he hath accomplished in novissimis, in the later times, all that which he spake ab initio, by the mouth of his Prophets, which have been since the world began, if we see God in them, it is a great beame of that visio beatifica, that beautificall sight of God in heaven; for herein we see the whole way of our salvation, to be in Christ Iesus; all promise, all performance, all prophecy, all history concern us, in and by him. And then for that union with God, which is also our salvation (as this vision is) when we shall be so united, as that we shall follow the Lambe whither soever he goes, though that union be unexpressible here, yet here, there is an union with God, which represents that too. Such an union, as that the Church of which we are parts, is his spouse, and that's Eadem care, the same body with him; and such an union as that the obedient children of the Church, are Idem spiritus cum Domin…, we are the same body, and the same spirit: So united, as that by being sowed in the visible Church, we are Semen Dei, the seed of God,1 Iohn 3. 9. and by growing up there in godlinesse, and holinesse, we are participes Divinae naturae, partakers of the divine Nature it selfe. Now these two unions, which represent our eternall union with God (that is, the union of the Church to him, and the union of every good soule in the Church to him) is the subject of this Song of songs, this heavenly Poeme, of Solomons; and our baptisme, at our entrance into this world, is a Seale of this union; our mariage, in the passage of this world, is a Sacrament of this union; and that which seems to be our dissolution, (our death) is the strongest …and of this union, when we are so united, as nothing can disunite us more. Now, for uniting things in this world, we are always put to imploy baser, and courser stuffe, to unite them together, then they themselves; If we lay Marble upon Marble, how well soever we polish the Marble, yet we must unite them with morter: If we unite riches to riches, we temper a morter (for the most part) of our owne covetou…nesse, and the losse, and opressing of some other Men; if we unite honours to honours, titles to titles, we temper a morter, (for the most part) of our owne Ambition, and the supplanting, or excluding of some other Men; But in the uniting of a Christian soule to Christ Jesus, here is no morter, all of one Nature; Nothing but spirit, and spirit, and spirit, the soule of Man to the Lord Jesus, by the holy Ghost. Worldly unions have some corrupt foulnesses in them, but for this spirituall union, Lavi pedes, I have washed my feet, how shall I defile them?
Which words, though in the rigor of the coherence,Divisio. and connexion of this Scripture, they imply a delay in the spouse of Christ, and so in every soule too, that when Christ called here, the soule was not ready to come forth to him, but made her excuses, that she had put off her coate, and was loath to rise to put it on, that she had washed her feet, and was loath to rise, and foule them againe, yet because the excuse it selfe, (if it were an excuse) hath a piety, and a Religious care in it, the Fathers for the most part, pretermit that weaknesse that produced an excuse, and consider in their expositions, the care that the soule had, not to defile her selfe againe, being once washed.Gregory. Saint Gregory says, that the soule had laid off, Omnia externa, quae non tam ornant quàm …nerant, all outward ornaments, which are rather encumbrances, then ornaments; And Saint Ambrose says, Pedes lavi, dum egrederer de corporis contubernio, when I departed from the confederation of my body, and the … that, I wash'd my feet, Quomod… in tenebr…sum carcerem reverterer? And … I returne into that darke, and durty prison, againe, the love of mine owne body… … suing therefore their pious acceptation of these words, we have in them, two festivalls of the soule, a Resurrection, and an ascension of it; This soule hath raised it selfe, from the durt and Mud of this world, Lavit pedes, she hath washed her feet, and then she hath ascended to a resolution, of keeping herselfe in that state, Quom…do inquinab… eos, how shall I defile them? Call these two parts a Gratulation of the soule, and an Indignation; first she congratulates with her good, and gratious God, that she is cleansed from worldly corruptions, Lavi pedes, I have washed my feet… and then she conceives a Religious scorne and indignation, of setting her foot in the same foule way againe. Quom…do, how, how is it possible that I should descend, to so low a disposition, as to foule them againe? This Resurrection then of the soule, and grat…lation, & this Ascension of the soul & Indignation, will be our two parts. And in the first, we shal stop a little, upon every one of these five branches; There is abluti… necessaria; There is a washing, that is necessary to all; for we enter in foulenesse, and corruption into this world; and that we have in Baptisme for Originall sinne; Secondly, there is abluti… pedum, a washing of our feet, of our steps, and walkes in this world, and that's by repentance, sealed in the other Sacrament, and properly, that is for actuall sinnes; Thirdly, in this ablution, there is an Ego lavi, there is a washing, and I my selfe doe something towards this cleansing of my selfe; And fourthly, it is Lavi, it is, I have washed, not Lavabo, it is not, I will wash; it is already done, it is not put off to mine age, nor to my death bed, but Lavi, I have washed; And lastly, it is Pedes meas, I have washed mine owne feet; for if by my teaching, I cleanse others, and remaine, by my bad life, in foule ways my selfe, I am not within this text, Lavi pedes meos; I have not washed my feet; But if we have sincerely performed the first part, we shall performe the other too, Quomodo, we shall come into a religious detestation, and indignation of falling into the same foulenesse againe.
To passe then through all these (for of all these that's true which Saint Basil says of all words in the Scriptures,First Part. Habent minutissime particulae suae mysteria, Basil.Every word hath force and use, as in Pearle, every seed Pearle is as medicinall, as the greatest, so there is a restorative nature in every word of the Scriptures, and in every word, the soule findes a rise, and help for her devotion,) To begin with the first, the necessity of washing, consider us in our first beginning,Psal. 51. 5. Concepti in peccatis, our Mothers conceived us in sin; and being wrapped up in uncleannesse there, can any Man bring a cleane thing out of filthinesse? Iob 14. 4.There is not one; for as we were planted, in our Mothers wombe, in conception, so we were transplanted from thence into this world, in our Baptisme, Nascimur filii …rae, Eph. 2. 3.for we are by nature the children of wrath, as well as others. And as in the bringing forth, and bringing up, of the best, and most precious, and most delicate plants, Men employ most dung, so the greatest persons, where the spirit and grace of God, doth not allay that intemperance, which naturally arises, out of abundance, and provocation, and out of vanity, and ambitious glory, in outward oftentations; there is more dung, more uncleannesse, more sinne in the conception, and birth of their children, then of meaner and poorer parents; It is a degree of uncleannesse, to fixe our thoughts too earnestly upon the uncleannesse of our conception, and of our birth: when wee call that a testimony of a right comming, if we come into the world with our head forward, in a head-long precipitation; and when we take no other testimony of our being alive, but that we were heard cry; and for an earnest, and a Prophecy, that we shall be viri sanguinum, et d…losi, bloudy, and deceitfull Men, false and treacherous, to the murdering of our owne soules we come into this world, as the Egyptians went out of it, swallowed, and smothered in a red sea, Pueri sanguinum, & infirmi, weake, and bloudy infants at our birth. But to carry our thoughts from materiall, to sptrituall uncleannesses, In peccat… concepti, we were conceived in sinne, but who can tell us how? That flesh in our mothers wombe, which we are, having no sinne in it selfe, (for that masse of flesh could not be damned, if there never came a soule into it) and that soule, which comes into that flesh from God… having no sinne in it neither, (for God creates nothing infected with sinne, neither should that soule be damned, if it came not into that body) The body, being without sinne, and the soule being without sinne, yet in the first minute, that this body and soule meet, and are united, we become in that instant, guilty of Adams sinne, committed six thousand years before. Such is our sinne and uncleannesse, in Originall sinne, as the subtillest Man in the Schooles, is never able to tell us, how, or when we contracted that sinne, but all have it; And therefore if there be any, any any-where, of that generation, that are pure in their owne eyes,Prov. 30. 12. Bernard. and yet are not washed from their filthinesse, Basil.as Solomon speakes, Erubesce vas stercorum, says good Saint Bernard, If it be a vessell of gold, it is but a vessell of excrements, if it be a bed of curious plants, it is but a bed of dung; as their tombes hereafter shall be but glorious covers of rotten carcasses, so their bodies are now, but pampered covers of rotten soules; Erubescat vas stercorum, let that vessell of uncleannesse, that barrell of dung, confesse a necessity of washing, and seeke that, and rejoyce in that, for thus farre, (that is, to the pollution of Originall sinne,) in peccato concepti, and nas…imur filii ira…, wee are conceived in sinne, first, and then we are borne the children of wrath.
But where's our remedy? Why for this, for this originall uncleannesse, is the water of Baptisme. Op…rtet nos renasci; we must be borne againe; we must; There is a necessity of Baptisme: Iohn 3. 7.As we are the children of Christian parents, we have Ius ad rem, a right to the Covenant, we may claime baptisme, the Church cannot deny it us; And as we are baptized in the Christian Church, we have Ius in re, a right in the Covenant, and all the benefits thereof, all the promises of the Gospell: we are sure that we are conceived in sinne, and sure that we are borne children of wrath, but not sure that we are cleansed, or reconciled to God, by any other meanes then that, which he hath ordained, Baptisme. The Spirit of God moved first upon the water; and the spirit of life grew first in the water; Primus liquor, quod viveret edidit: Tertullian.The first living creatures in the first creation, were in the waters; and the first breath of spirituall life, came to us,1 Reg. 7.24. from the water of baptisme. In the Temple there was Mare aeneum, a brasen sea; In the Church there is Mare aureum, a golden sea, which is Baptisterium, the font, in which we discharge our selves, of all our first uncleannesses, of all the guiltinesse of Originall sinne; but because we contract new uncleannesses, by our uncleane ways here; therefore there must bee Ablutio pedum, a washing of our feet, of our ways, of our actions, which is our second branch.
Cecidimus in lutum,2. Pedes. Bern. & super acervum lapidum, says Saint Bernard; we fell by Adams fall, into the durt; but from that, we are washed in baptisme; but we fell upon a heape of sharpe stones too; and we feel those wounds, and those bruises, all our lives after; Impingimus meridie, we stumble at noone day; In the brightest light of the Gospell, Esay 59. 10.in the brightest light of grace, in the best strength of Repentance, and our resolutions to the contrary, yet we stumble, and fall againe. Duo nobis pedes, says that Father, Natura, & Cons…e…do; we stand, says he, upon two feet, Nature, and Custome; and we are lame of one foot hereditarily, we draw a corrupt Nature from our parents; and we have lamed the other foot, by crooked, and perverse customes. Now, as God provided a liquor in his Church, for Originall sinne, the water of Baptisme, so hath he provided another for those actuall sinnes; that is, the bloud of his owne body, in the other Sacrament. In which Sacrament, besides the naturall union, (that Christ hath taken our Nature,) and the Mysticall union, (that Christ hath taken us into the body of his Church) by a spirituall union, when we apply faithfully his Merits to our soules, and by a Sacramentall union, when we receive the visible seales thereof, worthily, we are so washed in his bloud, as that we stand in the sight of his Father, as cleane, and innocent, as himselfe, both because he and we are thereby become one body, and because the garment of his righteousnesse covers us all. But, for a preparation of this washing in the bloud of Christ, in that Sacrament, Christ commended to his Apostles, and in them, to all the world, by his practise, and by his precept too, ablutionem pedam, a washing of their feet; before they came to that Sacrament he washed their feet; Iohn 13.And in that exemplary action of his, his washing of their feet,Bernard. he powred water into a Bason, says the text: Aqua spiritus sanctus, pelvis Ecclesia,; These preparatory waters are the gift of the holy Ghost, the working of his grace in repentance; but pelvis Ecclesia, the bason is the Church; that is, these graces are distributed, and dispensed to us, in his institution, and ordinance in the Church: No Man can wash himselfe at first, by Baptisme; no Man can baptize himselfe; no Man can wash in the second liquor, no Man, (that is but a Man) can administer the other Sacrament to himselfe: Pelvis ecclesia, the Church is the bason, and Gods Minister in the Church, washes in both these cases. And, in this ablutione pedum, in the preparatory washing of our feet, by a survey of all our sinfull actions and repentance of them, no Man can absolve himselfe, but pelvis ecclesia, the bason of this water of absolution, is in the Church and in the Minister thereof.
First then this washing of the feet, which prepares us for the great washing, in the bloud of Christ, requires a stripping of them, a laying of them naked; covering of the feet in the Scriptures, is a phrase, that denotes a foule, and an uncleane action;Iudg. 3. 2…. Saul was said to cover his feet, in the Cave, and Eglon was said to cover his feet in his Parler; and we know the uncleane action, that is intended here: but for this cleane action, for washing our feet, we must discover all our sinfull steps, in a free and open confession to almighty God. This may be that which Solomon calls,Prov. 3. 21. sound wisdome; My sonne keep sound wisdome, and discretion. There is not a more silly folly, then to thinke to hide any sinfull action from God. Nor sounder wisdome then to discover them to him, by an humble, and penitent confession; This is sound wisdome, and then, discretion is, to wash, and discerne, and debate, and examine all our future actions, and all the circumstances, that by this spirit of discretion we may see, where the sting, and venome of every particular action lies: My sonne keep sound wisdome, and discretion, says he, And then shalt thou walke in thy way safely, and thy foot shall not stumble; If thy discretion be not strong enough, (if thou canst not always discerne, Psal. 91. 11.what is, and what is not sinne) he shall give his Angells charge over thee, that thou dash not thy foot against a stone; and that's good security; and if all these faile, though thou doe fall, thou shalt not be utterly cast downe,Psal. 37. 24. for the Lord shall uphold thee with his hand, says David; God shall give that Man, that loves this found wisdome, (humble confession of sinnes past) this spirituall discretion, the spirit of discerning spirits, that is, power to discerne a tentation, and to overcome it; confesse that which is past with true sorrow, that is sound wisdome, and God shall enlighten thee for the future, and that's holy discretion.
The washing of our feet then, being a cleane, and pure and sincere examination of all our actions, we are to wash all the instruments of our actions, in repentance; Lavanda facies, Gen. 43. 31.we are to wash our face, as Ioseph did, after he had wept, before he looked upon his brethren againe: If we have murmured, and mourned, for any crosse, that God hath laid upon us, we must returne to a cheerfull countenance towards him, in embracing whatsoever he found best for us; we must wash our Intestina, Exod. 29. 17.our bowels, (as it is after commanded in the law) when our bowels, which should melt at the relation, and contemplation, and application of the passion of our Saviour, doe melt at the apprehension, or expectation, or fruition of any sinfull delight,Exod. 19. 10. Lavanda intestina, we must wash those bowells▪ Lavanda vestimenta, we must wash our clothes; when we apparell and palliate our sinnes with excuses, of our owne infirmity, or of the example of greater Men, these clothes must be washed, these excuses; Lavanda currus & arma, as Ahabs chariot and armour were washed;1 Reg. 2 2. 38. If the power of our birth or of our place, or of our favour, have armed us against the power of the law, or against the clamour of Men justly incensed, Lavandi currus, these chariots, and armes, this greatnesse must be washed; Lavanda retia; Luk. 1. 2.what Nets soever we have fished with, by what meanes soever we raise, or sustaine our fortune, Lavanda retia, These nets must be washed.Bernard. Saint Bernard hath drawn a great deale of this heavenly water together, for the washing of all, when he presents, (as he cals it) Martyrium, sine sanguine, triplex, a threefold Martyrdome, & all without bloud; and that is, Largitas in paupertate, a bountifull disposition, even in a low fortune; parcitas in ubertate, a frugall disposition in a full fortune; and Castitas in Iuventute, a pure, and chaste disposition, in the years, and places of tentation. These are Martyrdomes, without bloud, but not without the water that washes our feet; This is sound wisdome, and discretion, to strip, and lay open our feet, our sinfull actions, by Confession; To cover them, and wrap them up by precaution, from new uncleannesse; and then to tye and bind up all safe, by participation of the bloud of Christ Jesus, in the Sacrament; for that's the seale of all; And Christ in the washing of his disciples feet, tooke a towell to dry them, as well, as water to wash them; so when he hath brought us to this washing of our feet, to a serious consideration of our actions, and to repentant teares, for them, Absterget omnem lachrymam, he will wipe all teares from our eyes; all teares of confusion towards Men, or of diffidence towards him; Absterget omnem lachrymam, and deliver us over to a setled peace of conscience.
There is a washing then, absolutely, generally necessary, the water of Baptisme; Ego.and a washing occasionally necessary, because we fall into actuall sinnes, the bloud of our Saviour in the Sacrament; and there is a washing between these, preparatory to the last washing, the water of Contrite, and repentant teares, in opening our selves to God, and shutting up of our selves against future tentations: of the two first, the two Sacraments, sons in Ecclesia, the whole spring, and river is in the Church, there is no baptisme, no bloud of Christ, but in the Church; And of this later, which is most properly ablutio pedum, the washing of the feet, that is, teares shed in repentance of our sinfull lives, of this water, there is Pelvis in Ecclesia, the Bason is in the Church; for our best repentance (though this repentance be at home in our owne hearts) doth yet receive a Seale, from the absolution of Gods Ministers in the Church. But yet though there be no cleansing, but from the spirit of God, no ordinary working of Gods spirit, but in the Church, and his ordinances there, yet we our selves are not so left out, in this work, but that the spouse here, and every carefull soule here says, truly, Ego lavi, I my selfe have washed my feet; which is our third branch.
It is said often in Philosophy, Nihil in intellectu, quod non prius in sensu; till some sense apprehend a thing, the Iudgment cannot debate it, nor discourse it; It may well be said in Divinity too, Nihil in gratia, quod non prius in natura, there is nothing in grace, that was not first in nature, so farre, as that grace always finds nature, and naturall faculties to work on; though that nature be not disposed to the receiving of grace, when it comes, yet that nature, and those faculties, which may be so disposed by grace, are there, before that grace comes. And the grace of God doth not work this cleansing, but where there is a sweet, and souple, and tractable, and ductile disposition wrought in that soule. This disposition is no cause why God gives his grace; for there is no cause, but his own meer, and unmeasurable goodnesse; But yet, without such a disposition, God would not give that; and therefore let us cleanse our selves from all filthinesse, says the Apostle;2 Cor. 7. 1. There is something, which we ourselves may doe. A Man that had powred out himselfe in a vehement, and corrupt solicitation of the chastity of any woman, if he found himselfe surprized by the presence of a husband, or a father, he could give over in the midst of a protestation; A Man that had set one foot into a house of dangerous provocations, if he saw … bill of the plague, upon the doore, he could goe backe; A Man that had drawne his sword to rob a passenger, if he saw a hue and cry come, could give over that; and all this is upon the Ego lavi, I have washed; without use of grace, his owne naturall reason declines him from that sinne then. How long shall we make this bad use, of this true doctrine, that, because we cannot doe enough, for our salvation, therefore we will doe nothing? Shall I see any Man shut out of heaven, that did what he could upon earth? Thou that canst mourne for any worldly losse, mourne for thy sinne; Thou that lovest meetings of company for society, and conversation, love the meeting of the Saints of God, in the Congregation, and communion of Saints; Thou that lovest the Rhetorique, the Musique, the wit, the sharpnesse, the eloquence, the elegancy, of other authors, love even those things in the Scriptures, in the word of God, where they abound more, then in other authors. Put but thy affections out of their ordinary sinfull way, and then Lavasti pedes, thou hast washed thy feet; and God will take thy work in hand, and raise a building farre beyond the compasse, and comprehension of thy foundation; that which the soule began, but in good nature, shall be perfected in grace.
But doe it quickly; for the glory of this soule here was in the Lavi; It is not Lavabo; that she had already; not that she would wash her feet;Lavi. since thou art come to know thy naturall uncleannesse, and baptisme for that, and thine actuall uncleannesse; and that for that, there is a River, that brings thee into the maine Sea, (the water of repentance leads thee to the bottomelesse Sea of the bloud of thy Saviour, in the Sacrament) continue not in thy foulenesse, in confidence that all shall be drowned in that at last, whensoever thou wilt come to it. It was a common, but an erroneous practise, even in the Primitive Church, to defer their baptisme, till they were old; because an opinion prevailed upon them, that baptisme discharged them of all sinnes, they used to be baptized then, when they were past sinning, that so they might passe out of this world, in that innocency, which their baptisme imprinted in them: And out of this custome; Men grew to be the more carelesse all their lives, because all was done at once in baptisme. But says Saint Augustine in that case, (and it was his owne case) It were uncharitably said,Augustin. Vulneretur amplius, that if we saw a Man welter in his bloud, and wounded in divers places, it were uncharitably said, Vulneretur amplius, give him two or three wounds more, for the Surgeon is not come yet; It is uncharitably said to thine owne soule, Vulneretur amplius, take thy pleasure in sinne yet, when I come to receive the Sacrament, I will repent altogether, doe not thinke to put off all to the washing weeke; all thy sinnes, all thy repentance, to Easter, and the Sacrament then; There may be a washing then, and no drying; thou maist come to weep the teares of desperation, to seek mercy with teares, and not find it; teares for worldly losses, teares for sinne, teares for bodily anguish, may overflow thee then; and whereas Gods goodnesse to those, that are his, is, ut abstergat omnem Lachrymam, to wipe all teares from their eyes; absterget nullam Lachrymam, he may leave all unwiped upon thee, he may leave thy soule to sinke, and to shipwracke, under this tempest, and inundation, and current of divers tides; teares of all kinds, and ease of none: for those of whom it is said, Deus absterget omnem lachrymam, God shall wipe all teares from their eyes, are they Qui laverunt Stolas, (as we see there) who have already washed their long robes, and made them white in the bloud of the Lambe: who have already by teares of repentance, become worthy receivers of the seale of reconciliation, in the Sacrament of his body, and bloud; To them, God shall wipe all teares from their eyes; but to the unrepentant sinner, he shall multiply teares; from teares, for the losse, of a horse, or of a house, to teares for the losse of a soule, and wipe no teare from his eyes.
But yet though this Lavi, exclude the Lavabo, as it is dilatory, that is, I will wash, but not yet, yet it excludes not the Lavabo, I will wash, as it is an often washing; I must come to that, Lavi, I have washed, but yet I will wash againe: for till our feet be so washed, as that they be wrapped up in our last linnen, and so raised from the ground, as that they be laid upon other Mens shoulders, our feet will touch the ground againe and need new washing. When Christ washed his disciples feet, there is agreat difference amongst the Fathers, where he beganne, whose feet he washed first: Saint Augustine, and Saint Bernard thinke he beganne with Peter; they thinke Christ respected the dignity of his person: origen, Augustine & Bernard. Origen & Chrysostome.and Chrysostome thinke he beganne with Iudas; they thinke Christ respected the necessity of the Patient, and applied the Physique soonest, where the disease was most malignant, and venemous. None of them say he beganne with Iohn, whom it is cleere he loved most. If any soule have apprehended that Christ came late to her washing, not till now, let her not argue, to her owne danger, that he loved her the lesse for that: if he have suffered sinne to abound, that grace might abound, what Patient shall dare to appoint, that Physitian his Dosis, or his times; whomsoever he washed first of his Apostles, he washed them all; and to him that was forwardest ever in his owne strength, to Peter, he said, Non habebis partem, If I wash thee not, thou shalt have no part with me; If we come not to this washing of our feet, this preparatory washing by teares of repentance, we can have no part in him, that is, in the participation of his body, and his bloud; but when he hath brought us to this Iordan, which is Fluvius Iudicii, the water of Judgment, and that we have judged, and condemned our selves of this Leprosie of sinne, Lavemur septies, let us often call our selves to account, implore the councell often, often accept the absolution of Gods Minister, and often settle our soules, in a true peace, by a worthy receiving of the seale thereof, in the Sacrament: And as in that we come to the Lavi, (a peacefull testimony, that we have washed our consciences) so let us pursue it with a Lavabo, with an humble acknowledgment, that we fall every day, and every day need a new washing; for as from poore tenants, Landlords are not content to receive their rent at the years end, but quarterly, or in shorter termes, so from such beggerly and bankrupt soules as ours are, God is not content with an anniversary repentance once a yeare, at Easter; but we shall finde our rent, our payment heavy enough, if we pay every day, and wash our feet every night, for the uncleannesses of that one day.
To shut up this part then; This washing of the feet, is the spirit of discerning, Meos.and censuring particular actions: but it is pedes meos, a discerning, and censuring of my actions, not onelyonly, or not principally the actions of other Men; Quàm speciosi pedes Evangelizantium, how beautifull are the feet of them, that preach peace, Rom. 10.says Saint Paul, out of the mouth of two witnesses, two Prophets, that had said so before. If we will preach peace, that is, relieve the consciences of others, by presenting them their sinnes,Isay 52. 7. we must have speciosos pedes, Nab. 1. 15.cleane ways, and a cleane life of our owne; so it is with us, and our profession; But Gens sancta, regale Sarcerdotium, as the Apostle joines them, If you be a holy people, you are also a royall preisthood; If you be all Gods Saints, 1 Pe…. 2. 9.you are all Gods Preists; and if you be his preists, it is your office to preach too; as we by words, you by your holy works; as we by contemplation, you by conversation; as we by our doctrine, so you by your lives, are appointed by God to preach to one another: and therefore every particular Man, must wash his owne, feet, looke that he have speciosos pedes, that his example may preach to others, for this is truly Regale Sacerdotium, a regall preisthood, not to work upon others by words, but by actions. If we love one another, as Christ loved us, we must wash one anothers feet, as he commanded his Apostles; There is a preistly duty lies upon every Man, brotherly to reprehend a brother, whom he sees trampling in foule ways, wallowing in foule sinnes; but I may preach to others and be my selfe a reprobate… (as Saint Paul speakes with terror to Men of our coate) in his owne person, I may bring others to heaven,1 Cor. 9. 27. and bee shut out my selfe; And thou maist preach that a Man should not steale, and steale, That a Man should not commit adultery, and commit it; And in these cases, Non speciosi pedes, Rom. 2. 21.here are no cleane, no faire feet, and therefore no edifying. Nay if, in either kind, we, or you, abhor Idols, and yet commit sacriledge, that is, reprehend a sinne in another, which we are free from our selves, but yet are guilty our selves, of another sinne as great, here's no cleane feet no profitable preaching; And therefore the onelyonly way to doe God service, is, to wash and to censure the feet, (that is, particular actions) but principally, our owne feet, that which we doe our selves.2. Part.
There remaines yet a second part: and perchance but a little time for it; and I shall proportion, and fit my selfe to it. It is, That as this soule had a Resurrection, she hath an …scension; As she had vocem gratulantis, a thanksgiving, that she hath washed her feet, so she hath vocem indignantis, a religious scorne and indignation, to fall into those foule ways againe. For this holy indignation, is one linke in the Apostles chaine of Repentance, where, upon Godly sorrow, depends care, and upon that, cleansing of our selves, and upon that indignation, 2 Cor. 7. 11.and so feare, and so desire, and so zeale, and so punishments of our selves: every linke worthy of a longer consideration; but here we consider onelyonly this indignation; when that soule that is washed, and thereby sees, to what a faire conformity with her Saviour she is come, is come also to a scorne, to a disdaine to compare any beauty in this world, to that face, which Angells desire to looke upon; any nearenesse to great persons in this world, to the following of the Lambe wheresoever he goes; any riches of this world, to that riches wherewith the poverty of Christ Jesus hath made us rich; any length of life in this world, to that union which we shall have, to the Antient of dayes; where even the everliving God, shall not overlive us, but carry out our days to the unmeasured measure of his owne, to eternity. This indignation, this soule expresses here, in this question, Quomodo, how shall I defile them? First then, this voice of indignation, hath this force; Quomodo, how shall I defile them, is, how is it possible, that I should defile them? I have washed my feet, repented my sinnes and taken the seale of my Reconciliation, the Sacrament, Bernard.and that hath this effect, ut sensum minuat in minimis, & toliat consensum in magnis peccatis, That grace, that God gives in the Sacrament, makes us lesse sensible of small tentations, (they move us not) and it makes us resist, and not yeild to the greatest tentations; since I am in this state, Quomodo inquinubo? How shall I defile them? The difference will be, of whom thou askest this question: If thou aske the world, the world will tell thee, well enough. Quomodo, How; It will tell thee, that it is a Melancholy thing, to sit thinking upon thy sinnes; That it is an unsociable thing, to seeke him, who cannot be seen, an invisible God; That it is poore company, to passe thy time with a Priest; Thou maiest defile thy selfe againe, by forgetting thy sinnes, and so doing them over againe: And thou maist defile thy selfe againe by remembring thy sins, and so sinne over thy sinnes againe, in a sinfull delight of thy passed sinnes, and a desire that thou couldst commit them againe. There are answers enough to this Quomodo, How, how should I defile them, if thou aske the world: but aske thy Saviour, and he shall tell thee,Iohn 4. 11. That whosoever hath this water, shall never thirst more, but that water shall be in him an everlasting spring; that is, he shall find meanes to keep himselfe in that cleannesse, Rom. 8.to which he is come; and neither things present, nor things to come shall separate him from the love of God.
Thus the voice of this religious indignation, Quomodo, is, how is it possible, but it is also, Quomodo, how, that is, why should I? The first is, how should I be so base, the other, how should I be so bold? Though I have my pardon, written in the bloud of my Saviour; sealed to me in his Sacrament, brought home to me in the testimony of the holy Ghost, pleaded for me, at the tribunall of the Father, yet as Princes pardons have, so Gods pardons have too, this clause, It a quod se bene gerat; He that is pardoned must continue of good behaviour; for whensoever he breakes the peace, he forfeits his pardon; When I returne to my repented sinnes againe, I am under the burden of all my former sinnes, and my very repentance, contracts the nature of a sinne: and therefore Quomodo, how should I, that is, why should I defile them? To restore you to your liberty, and to send you away with the meditation, which concernes you most, consider, what an astonishment this would be, that when Christ Jesus shall lay open the great volumes of all your sinnes, to your sight, who had forgot them, and to their sight, from whom you had disguised them, at the last judgement, when you shall heare all the wantonnesses of your youth, all the Ambitions of your middle years, all the covetous desires of your age, published in that presence, and thinke then, this is the worst that can be said, or laid to my charge, this is the last indictment, and the last evidence, there shall follow your very repentances in the list of your sinnes, and it shall be told you, and all the world then, Here, and here you deluded that God, that forbore to inflict his Judgements, upon new vowes, new contracts, new promises, between you and him; even your repentances shall bind up that booke, and tye your old sinnes, and new relapses into one body. And let this meditation bring you ad vocem gratulantis, to rejoyce once againe in this Lavi pedes, that you have now washed your feet, in a present sorrow, and ad vocem indignantis, to a stronger indignation, and faster resolution, then heretofore you have had, never to defile them againe.